"He had a different way of looking at the land, the trouble at hand or any circumstance that might just come along .... and he measured his life in cedar posts and miles of barbed wire fence”.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday Odds and Ends

Roadway Update: A few weeks ago I wrote about Roadway an abandoned Labrador Retriever. I've checked the last couple of trips down I-26 at the Bowman Pilot Truck Stop and the word is Roadway is gone. Not sure if the family I wrote about adopted her or not but I'm an optimist so I hereby declare it so. The original post is here.

CMPD's Deputy Chief Harold Medlock goes all Fallujah at Comstat Meeting - Or at least that's what Cedar Posts is hearing. Seems the South Area's top officer has a different view of the Speed Street riots, and is busy throwing certain people under the bus.

DC Harold Medlock speaking in South Charlotte

While Chief Monroe states that "at no time did we loose control", Medlock is blaming certain command staff and RAC's for never having control and allowing the whole thing to get out of hand.

Emails and comments suggest Medlock's attack is born out of complete disrespect for rank and file and a management style whose key ingredient is FEAR and not intelligence.

"I am not on command staff, but out here in the real world we just don't get it.And it's demoralizing....you don't know who to trust, who is really looking out for the troops. It seems people are mostly just looking out for themselves. And the people that are looking out for us don't stand a chance! We've all heard about this latest bashing, and it pisses us off."

"It was more like a bloodletting, really obvious and very personal with no redemptive value whatsoever. People I talked to were shocked, and all agreed it was punitive, even for (Medlock)."

Cedar's Take: I am not sure what really went down, but it doesn't seem to be over and if backfire and karma have anything to do with it, Medlock may have just set the city up for a major troublesome event come July 4th. Keep in mind that 12 hour shifts don't make for happy troops. I'd expect we'll have a week or more off 12 on 12 off, til we get past the upcoming holiday weekend.

Fear and intimidation have been the hallmarks of Rodney Monroe's CMPD since day one. But true leadership is not that of an iron fist and then taking the day off to play golf while your henchmen beat up subordinates. Leadership is best when its by example.

Note: Do not under any circumstances email Cedar Posts from your CMPD computer. It will cost you an active suspension, just ask around.

Has the "Uptown Crackdown" Begun? According to the "Local Paper" an effort to crack down on young urban African American youth may have gotten underway at Charlotte's EpiCenter.

Last week Phillip Agnew headed to Charlotte's EpiCentre. But now he says it's unlikely he'll ever return after a sideways-turned hat resulted in his arrest.

Agnew's Mug Shot

Agnew said on June 2, he was outdoors on the EpiCentre's top floor, when a security officer approached him and told he was violating the dress code, he said. He was asked to turn his hat around.

Agnew refused "I told them I was dressed just like everybody else for the weather," he said.

Then two police officers approached and asked him to turn his hat around, but again he refused. That's when he was escorted out, handcuffed and taken to jail. He was charged with second-degree trespassing.

Signs are posted throughout EpiCentre, lay out a dress code.

"The following is not permitted: Profanity on clothing, sleeveless shirts on men, bandannas, hats not worn forward, excessively torn clothing, undershirts, work boots, excessively baggy or sagging clothing, shirts of an inappropriate length, sweatsuits or athletic attire," the signs read.

The signs also say that dress codes of venues inside the EpiCentre may vary, and management reserves the right to refuse admission to or remove from the premises anyone whose "conduct is deemed to be disorderly or who fails to comply with the terms of entry."

Agnew, said he believes the policy discriminates against young urban African-Americans. Agnew has launched a Facebook page called "Do Not Enter the (Epi)Center" to raise support for his boycott. Agnew's Facebook page is here.

NC House Approves Voter Id Law The measure would require voters to show a driver’s license or other photo identification in order to cast a vote in all elections.

The voting law is popular with Republicans who feel that many GOP races were lost to voter fraud during the Obama 2008 "Hope and Change" wave. Democrats on the other hand are crying foul with words like "Chains" and "Jim Crow".

But to this voter, and my perfect voting record over the last 20 years, its more personal. The polling place is one of the last threads of true community we have. The annual visit to the precinct, bumping into neighbors I haven't seen all year is part of the joy felt while casting a vote. The simplistic act of signing in without an ID and the feeling of belonging without question will be lost with the demand to see your ID.

Gone will be the good feeling of being known, the respect of the "I Voted" sticker lost to being nothing more than a stamp that say I too comformed to proving my citizenship and now I follow the rest of the lemmings to the cliff.

16 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Cedar Posts again running fast and loose with the facts. Who are your sources? Always the same here on this blog voices from the shadows, phoney emails and blog comments that are nothing more than watercooler gossip. Do yourself a favor and get a life.

Anon 7:56A little pissed? The truth does that.....And in the shadows is how Command Staff operates....nothing in writing for them..."plausible" deniability that way.And with their switchblade mentality, do you really think people would risk their careers, their livlihoods by speaking up? Right.....seems your life is defending this crap.The "watercooler" gossip seems right on so far.

anon 7:56Well, come on out of the shadows yourself, tell us who YOU are and be a "source".Perhaps you can verify and tell us the "facts", willing to do that yourself? Tell us who you are?No? Didn't think so.

And the crap about the urban youth being singled out...anyone see the video from uptown? I rest my case, who else was acting like animals during that time? It is pretty funny you can have large groups of certain demographics uptown and have NO problems but others, not so lucky. Try and call that racist, cannot argue with FACTS.

Anon 7:56 you are part of the problem. You either have your head so far up your ass you can't see or just do not see what is going on. I will not say all posts and blogs are accurate but the majority are right on and a sad commentary about the department.

lest we forget, there is a school of management thought where intimidation and fear are taught and followed as the proper way to run things. RoMo and company are firm believers. Ask any cop, off the record, and you will learn the same. Discord, mistrust, and yes, fear of retaliation run high in the ranks. See it every day.

anon 4:58You are correct!But that school of thought/management went the way of the Edsel, I guess they didn't get the memo!And morale is so low, and people are SO angry,how is that working for them?The absolute Bottom Line is, they do not give a shit.They are self aggrandizing egomaniacs operating from a place of fear!Do they not realize people see them for exactly what they are?The only loyalty they have, they have bought with paybacks in the form of jobs and promotions.

95%of command staff want to be surrounded by butt smooching yes men/women...and they are. They have set up their "people" that way.They wouldn't know an original idea if it bit them on the ass.They do not want to know the truth, they're in a bubble of denial.Come up with an idea, if it's not theirs , it's their way or the highway.And ask to be treated with respect? Do that and you will just receive a mountain of verbal abuse.They are your "superior" ...they don't have to treat you with respect!It's just FUBAR, totally FUBAR!!

it is quite obvious that people are held to different standards.One of the in crowd? No problem, you get a PASS on just about anything.Not in the in crowd? Watch out, and watch your back....because they are gunnin' for you at every turn!And they think they are being clever about it. NOT!!! EVERYONE knows what is going on.....and it has caused a real division at cmpd.

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CP's Daytime Job

Everyone Needs A Job. I'm Yacht Captain in charge of 7 boats the largest 97' but my fav is pictured above. The best part is it gives me a chance to blog about parts of the Carolinas many don't get to see on a regular basis.

Cedar Posts and Barbed Wire Fences

He had a different way of looking at the land,the trouble at handor any circumstancethat might just come along.

And while much in the world has changedthe pull of the mountainsand the rangefor him has always been strong.

His back to the windhe placed the last postand at lastthe day's work was done.

As the seasons changed,the work got harderbut he still rosewith the sun.

The posts became heavy,bails of wire he’d need some helpbut he just pushedhimself more.

His back now achedand his legs tired quicklyeven his bedmade him sore.

Over the yearshe’s always done his bestright up to the present tense,and he measured his life in cedar postsand miles of barbed wire fence.